Drivers of large or long vehicles, such as vans, RV's, semi-trailer trucks, or vehicles pulling trailers, rely heavily on their exterior rear-view mirrors. These mirrors are normally located on or near the front doors of the vehicle, one to each side, and afford the driver a view of the areas adjacent and behind the vehicle. Such mirrors are an invaluable aid in turning, backing the vehicle, passing other vehicles, and changing lanes on city streets and on highways. Adjusting the mirrors before proceeding to operate the vehicle is a necessity for safe operation and involves making a preliminary manual adjustment, returning to the driver's seat to check the view, and then adjusting again if necessary. This sequence is repeated until proper adjustment is reached and may require several repetitions. This adjustment procedure is cumbersome, time-consuming, and easily overlooked by drivers who are careless or in a hurry, in favor of leaning forward, backward or sideways in the seat to obtain a clear view, thus jeopardizing their safety and the safety of other drivers.
One device which solves some of the above problems has been disclosed in our co-pending application, Ser. No. 439,825, filed Nov. 8, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,016, issued Aug. 7, 1984, for a Power-Adjusted Vehicle Mirror. This device is controlled from a remote switch located within easy reach of a driver seated in the normal driving position and turns the mirror from side to side, either toward or away from the vehicle. This device finds its primary application with mirrors having a length sufficient to encompass the vertical field of view, although it can be used in other applications also. However, where mirrors with insufficient length to encompass the vertical field are used, adjustability in both visual planes, vertical and horizontal, is a requirement for safe operation of the vehicle.